SPIN: The Senior Planners Industry Network

Both the recession and increased expectations by senior management for improved team productivity, cost savings, and ROI, have changed the way meeting professionals plan and executive meetings.  The ability to demonstrate value to senior management has become increasingly important.  This value goes beyond ROI as meeting professionals serve as educators, driving meeting content and educational imperatives.  Furthermore, the bar has been raised by the fast moving initiative, Strategic Meeting Management (SMM), a new “value and accountability” model for meeting planning, travel and procurement teams.

SMM is defined as a disciplined approach to enterprise wide meeting management and drives meeting value, cost savings and risk reduction.  But SMM goes beyond meeting budgets and bottom line savings, as meeting professionals must focus on meeting architecture, design and the overall attendee experience.  Performance based outcomes are taking center stage and evaluating the big picture goals now includes increased team productivity.

SMM clearly, is our industry’s hottest initiative, but often too much emphasis is placed on cost savings and not enough emphasis on meeting design, architecture, content and learner outcomes.  As meeting professionals work hard to maximize overall meeting value, Return on Event (ROE), will be an important piece of the puzzle.  Understanding the value of “people, productivity and profitability” will be critical to getting senior managements’ buy-in to total meeting value.  ROE takes into account the behaviors, attitudes and skills, which are all tied into learning enhancement. 

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If you are struggling to decide whether you need an app for your event, or what the right app solution is, you are not alone. This new, fascinating tool for meetings comes in a dizzying array of options, from do-it- yourself approaches, to completely customized applications ($10K-$50K) that are discussed in a recent MPI White Paper by Swift Mobile (www.mpiweb.org/Portal/Research/20110321/Getting_Mobilized).  

In between these two extremes lies a vast array of offerings with an equally confusing set of features and pricing structures. To make sense of it all, here are the basic questions you should be asking yourself that will point you to what app is the right app – if any:

WHY AN APP?
If your organization is yearning for an app because “everyone else is doing it” – stop. An app that doesn’t fill a true audience need better than what you are currently doing, or doesn’t work on enough attendees’ devices to generate participation, then not only have you wasted your time and effort to purchase/develop your app, you have probably undermined the credibility of your event, if only slightly.

Here are the things apps can do well:


FEATURES:

• Conference Registration and Check-in
  
• Agendas with Alerts and Scheduling Features 
  
• Mobile Polls and Surveys
  
• Networking with Attendee Profiles
  
• Sponsorship Banners and Offers
  
• Interactive Venue and City Maps
  
• Exhibitor Listings
  
• Social Media Integration (Facebook and Twitter mainly)
  

BENEFITS

• Improve accessibility to info
  
• Enhance engagement and networking
  
• “Green” the event, reducing paper and waste
  
• Increase revenue through advertising/sponsor opportunities
  
• Decrease printing costs
  
• Raise event brand pereception
  

WILL THEY USE IT?
According to Gartner Research, over 70% of the entire world’s population has a cell phone. However, unless this is an Apple or BlackBerry conference, they don’t all have smartphones, and those that do, don’t all have the same one. In fact, of those individuals carrying a smartphone, 33.5% have BlackBerry, 25.0% carry Apple, and 26.0% carry an Android. The rest have either Microsoft or HP versions.  So, as a planner, you not only need to assess if an app is helping attendees get more out of your event, but whether the app is accessible to them.

WHERE DO I FIND THE RIGHT APP?
The following are just a sampling of popular apps (focused on attendee experience, and not on planner management tools):

• Existing apps that are “plug-n-play”:  In app stores and app marketplaces, search keywords such as “conference,” “congress,” “meeting” or “trade show” and check out those apps that might be just what you need.
  
• DIY app: Build it yourself with AppMakr for iPhone or App Inventor for Android which allow users to organize content around RSS feeds—a blog or a Twitter feed, for example.
  
• iCamp by Tapmate: (http://tapmates.com/icamp/) Modest features for iPhones and iPads.
  
• Eventmobi: (www.eventmobi.com/) Robust features for multiple smartphone platforms.
  
• eEvent: (eEvent.com )social media integration to sell tickets and encourages referrals to drive attendance.
  
• Eventbird (eventbird.com) Robust app offering.
  
• Eventbee: Ticketing, Facebook and LinkedIn promotion, ticket scanning and real-time check-in
  
• Conventionist (http://www.conventionist.com/) robust app features for iPhone and Android

This may seem so basic, but, sometimes, we need a good reminder. 

At a recent seminar for suppliers on what planners' pet peeves are, one of the senior-level planner panelists suggested that the audience ask for the planner's goals and objectives before responding to an RFP. Wouldn’t it be great if suppliers get what you are trying to do?

Take the first step! Rather than waiting for a supplier to ask, tell them what you need to accomplish with your meeting or event. There's a big payoff if you do.

The suppliers who write back with an understanding of what you need to achieve are going to give you a better proposal, better rates, and are more likely to give you the concessions you want. That makes the negotiating phase so much easier and may not be necessary at all. What will you do with the time?!

It should go without saying that if you have clear G&Os, every decision you make about your meeting will go smoother. So, why not make it smoother for your suppliers to do business with you? If a supplier you really want to work with is not getting "it", you now have clear objectives to discuss with them.

If you work with CVBs (and why wouldn't you?), your clear G&Os can save you time, because you know certain properties will or won't work for your event, and you can communicate that to your CVB rep. You won't receive tons of proposals that won't work in the first place. If a CVB has to send the lead to all their members, ask them to filter the responses for you before sending your way.

Well thought out G&Os pave the way for you to calculate your ROI, which means the goals have to run a little deeper than "make money for the company." Establishing deeper relationships with your clients or customers (internal as well as external), will go a long way toward job security for your department or company.

All meetings are educational in some form or fashion, so begin with teaching your suppliers how to help you to be successful. In the end, you all will!

As a member of the Twin City chapter’s Think Tank planning committee, I’ve spent quite a bit of time discussing the original concept and weighing the reality vs. the potential of these events … and I’m confused.  I understand SPIN’s philosophy of “For Planners, By Planners,” but in light of the declining Think Tank attendance in most chapters, I question why these events aren’t meeting member’s needs.

I have not had the privilege of attending Think Tanks in other cities (an issue I plan to rectify soon), but my experience with my local Think Tanks has been a mixed bag.  My first experience was a rather disjointed discussion that seemed to wander from topic to topic without in-depth discussion or new ideas.  The second was a CSR brainstorming session for a local charity that, while fulfilling, didn’t meet my needs as a third-party planner in a changing marketplace.

I originally joined SPIN because I felt isolated and needed the inspiration and guidance of my peers … senior planners who understood the issues I face and were willing to share their experiences in dealing with them.  My expectation was that the Think Tanks were the forum for those discussions.

After discussion and consideration, I have come to these conclusions:

1. The only way to create value in this organization is to participate in the organization.  I can’t sit back and expect Shawna, Tracey, Sara and a few volunteers to anticipate and meet my needs.  As a SPIN member, I have a responsibility to engage, sharing my knowledge and experience with other members.  The more I give, the more I’ll get.
   
2. Keep the topics relevant.  SPIN offers clear instructions on selecting topics for each Think Tank.  We need to use the process to ensure that we are discussing topics that are important to the attendees.
   
3. Think Tanks need strong facilitators.  Facilitating a discussion among strong personalities is very difficult, but it’s essential to maintaining focus and participation.  Every chapter needs to identify one or two members who are skilled facilitators and use them every quarter.  We can rotate the other Think Tank responsibilities but strong facilitation ensures the discussions produce value to the attendees. 
   
4. Keep Think Tanks, Think Tanks.   Like anything else, it will take practice to perfect our SPIN Think Tanks.  When other event opportunities come up (like CSR brainstorming), make them in addition to our quarterly forums.  
   

SPIN Think Tanks can be a powerful tool for the exchange of ideas and solutions among experienced planners.  But without our active participation, they will lose their value and die out.  I encourage every SPIN member to get involved and contribute to your local Think Tank because support and interaction are the lifeblood of this organization.

I just calculated that we’re less than six months away from SPINCon 2012.  I’ve always likened planning a major meeting to being pregnant.  All that work, joy, suffering, pain, challenges, morning sickness (well maybe not that)…and it culminates to a huge event that you hope will change lives.  With that analogy, we’ve entered the second trimester of gestation for this baby, due July 11-13!

I want to share with you another Cool New Idea that many of you will get to experience with SPINCon: The Virtual Hosted Buyer Experience.  Rather than the traditional way of requiring you to commit a chunk of your valuable conference time to one-on-one meetings, this year’s Hosted Buyers and Sponsors will meet with each other via Skype or iPad Facetime, in the two weeks leading up to the conference.  You’ll still get the one-on-one experience and the chance to get all your questions answered.  You simply won’t have to rush from table to table every time someone rings a bell.  You’ll also be able to set the appointments at your convenience, with two full weeks to complete them.  Once you arrive at the conference, your time is yours to network, learn, and explore Telluride.

Qualified Hosted Buyers will receive complimentary conference registration, two nights’ lodging, and airfare reimbursement.  The application will be opening in March or April, so stay tuned!

I’m breathless with excitement about SPINCon 2012!  OK, so maybe I’m breathless due to a little due to some winter bronchitis, but I’m still giddy.  This once nebulous concept is coming into focus with the help of more than 50 SPIN peers who have volunteered in various capacities.  It’s gratifying to hear that so many of you are as excited as we are about SPINCon Telluride.  The theme is Innovation Village: a concept that we’re all building together for each other, and hopefully that includes you. 

Why should you invest your time, energy and money into attending? 

• Well, it’s the only conference of its kind in North America, built BY senior-level planners FOR senior-level planners.  A maximum of 33% supplier attendance keeps the focus on you, the planners.
• Secondly, last year’s event won Event of the Year, and we don’t plan to rest on those laurels.  
• Not only is it going to be THE most amazing conference of the year, it’s also going to be one of the most affordable industry conferences of the year, with registration a fraction of what other associations charge.  Airfare will be really reasonable because we’re all flying into Montrose, Colorado.  Lodging is a mere $109 per night (for Telluride!!), and you can extend your stay at that rate, because Telluride wants you to experience all that it has to offer.

It’s intimidating enough planning a conference for the industry’s most veteran planners, but now we have added pressure of outdoing what we accomplished last year!  You know what? I’m not afraid, I’m inspired.  I’m inspired that we’re not doing this alone.  We’re doing this with the insight, enthusiasm and guidance from the very audience we hope to impress most: our peers.  

That brings me to Cool New Idea #1. 

When does the conference start on July 11th?  YOUR conference starts as soon as you board your shuttle in Montrose.  Each shuttle group will begin their education and networking during the hour-long transfer, to maximize your conference ROI from the get-go, and introduce you to new peers right away.  The best part is the name: “KNOWLEDGE TRANSFERS”!  (snicker…I’m so proud of myself for that one!)

Bookmark the Blog page or set up an RSS Feed Reader to notify you when we reveal more Cool New Ideas from SPINCon 2012.  New to RSS Feeds? Set up a free account at www.google.com/reader. Then click on the subscribe button and enter our blog address: http://www.spinplanners.com/2/feed.  Voila!

If you are a senior meeting professional, someone who has planned meetings for at least 10 years, there’s a special place for you. Coincidentally, this place is also celebrating a special milestone.

Senior Planners Industry Network, or SPIN, just reached the three-year mark and all signs point to continued growth. SPIN is an independent network led by the motto: BY senior-level planners, FOR senior-level planners. One of the other things that makes SPIN unique is it’s a member-driven operation, meaning each member has a voice in the group’s major decisions. 

As they approached this milestone, SPIN asked its members if they thought there would be value in a paid membership, reiterating its belief that SPIN only exists if its members find value in it. 

Believe it or not, the answer was yes. And no. They did the reasonable thing and offered its members both. Elite membership is a paid option and comes with certain benefits for Elite members only. 

However, Basic membership continues to be complimentary. The only requirement is that you be a senior-level planners, someone who has planned meetings full time for at least 10 years (most members average around 20 years!).

There is an in-between-level membership called Supporter. It shares some of the benefits of the Elite level. 

As a peer-led and peer-focused organization, SPIN doesn’t have a lot of small committees trying to gauge all members’ needs. The group tends to move as one large unit, doing its best to create opportunities to meet the needs of all senior-level planners, a unique group in and of itself.

Shawna Suckow founded SPIN as a LinkedIn group with the hope of getting at least 30 members. Within a matter of months, the group grew to 500. Now with 1,900 members, Suckow is finding she’s hit on something significant. She left her salaried job and began full time on SPIN.

She says she began SPIN because she felt senior-level planners were so used to putting the needs of others before the needs of themselves that their own professional development suffered. “There's also not a lot of education out there geared just for us.  We need our own private forum to connect, learn, vent (sometimes), ask questions, and share ideas amongst ourselves, “ she said.  

“This group enables us to reconnect with colleagues and create new relationships.  At our quarterly Think Tanks, we get to plug back in, exchange brilliant ideas and reinvigorate.  At our annual SPINCon North American Conference, we reconnect, meet new peers and explore new concepts.”

I tend to agree with Suckow. After nearly two decades as a planner, not only is it a challenge to find relevant networks and connections, but it’s a challenge to know what I need from those networks and connections.

Congratulations to SPIN! 

http://www.bedouk.com/news/spin-network-celebrates-3rd-year.108540

The Senior Planners Industry Network (SPIN) has reached its 3 year anniversary in October 2011. Although SPIN as an independant organization is still very young, it is actually based on those MICE professionals that have been playing the game for decades!

The SPIN motto “BY senior-level planners, FOR senior-level planners” accurately describes this society, created in 2008, lead by and focused on senior peers.

SPIN exclusivity is given to those meeting planners who have been planning for at least 10 years. Yet the average SPIN member has 20 years of MICE experience.

However, only basic membership is free.

Elite-level membership comes with a price - $200 annually. It also brings many benefits; including industry and non-industry discounts, $100 off the SPINCon (North American Conference) registration fee, free admission to senior educational webinars and free Think Tank events.

SPIN Supporting Members pay only $50 annually. Their perks are fewer than the Elite members, but greater than the basic membership, which only provides free access to their LinkedIn group.

Regardless of level, each SPIN member has a respected voice in every major SPIN decision.

Shawna Suckow, SPIN’s founder, had hoped for a mere 30 members on the original LinkedIn account. Her desire was to create a private and concentrated network where senior meeting planners could connect and exchange, with their professional development as the top priority. Suckow’s motivation was to fill the void of helpful didactic information within the MICE industry that was also suited to their professional level.

Today the group has come a long way from the LinkedIn account. SPIN totals 2,500 members and visits approximately 15 cities quarterly. There is no doubt that Suckow was successful.

For more information, or to become a SPIN member, check out www.spinplanners.com/.

C.MCMANEMY 

This past month has been one of trials, and thankfully, very little tribulations. We held Think Tanks in very different locations: aboard a cruise ship and inside a thrift store.

Meetings at Sea

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines has been a big supporter of SPIN the past two years when the idea to hold a Think Tank aboard one of their ships came up. The New York/New Jersey member steering committee leapt at the chance to meet onboard RCCL’s Explorer of the Seas. RCCL has been one of the first cruise lines to embrace meetings by building ships with meeting space on board. Their programs are quite comparable to other venues in terms of price and amenities, but you really have a captive audience when you’re at sea!

The dozen SPIN members who joined Lindsey Richmond, Corporate Sales Manager, for a tour and lunch had to brave the rain, but came away with a different perspective of this kind of venue. As SPIN Ambassador Saira Banu Kianes said, it was an “eye-opener.”

Little Shop of Honors

Tucked away in a tiny, nondescript strip center near the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport is the Assistance League’s Thrift Store. Despite its size, this store, and its 180+ members, do the work of angels. They provide clothing and weekend backpacks filled with food for children in poorer neighborhoods, reading tutors, support for GED graduates, and survivor kits for victims of assault. SPIN Founder Shawna Suckow wandered into the store one day and met Betty Bullion, a volunteer who is in charge of the chapter’s public relations. Shawna walked out with some bargains and an idea: why not hold the next Think Tank inside the store and let SPIN members help AL members with ideas for events and fundraising?

Ten members of SPIN sat in a circle with six AL members and talked about how the organization can grow. The group’s primary goal is to gain public awareness, which will help grow membership and donation funds. SPIN members had lots of opinions on this, but it came down to setting strategic and tactical goals for reaching more media and creating more stories about what the organization does for the community. It was only in the last half hour that we talked about using events to achieve those goals!

The energy in this little store grew palpable as we shared the value of well-kindled industry relationships, creative ideas for telling the group’s story and senior-level planners’ ability to hone in on the real goals and objectives of an organization. It was awesome to watch it unfold!

Several SPIN members said afterward that it had been rewarding and an honor for them to be able to help a deserving organization set a path for success. Watch for more of this kind of service-oriented Think Tank in your region.

Over the last few months, Shawna, Tracey, and myself have had a chance to talk with SPIN members and various suppliers at different events - like Think Tanks, Supplier Seminars, and IMEX America.  What we have learned is amazing.  

We have learned some of the top pet peeves of planners and the top pet peeves of suppliers.  We have learned what we, as planners, can do to build better relationships with suppliers.  Going forward, this blog will serve as a dumping place for all of the information we learn during our travels.  

If you would like to contribute an article for this blog, please let me know.  We would be happy to hear what you have to share.  Your article doesn't need to be long, just informative!